Advanced Activities of Daily Living in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study of the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS 2018)

Abstract

Background: The advanced activities of daily living (AADLs) in old age is a key indicator of the mobility domain for the intrinsic capacity of older adults living in the community; for this reason, it is relevant to know the prevalence and risk factors related to performing fewer AADLs in different populations. Aim: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with the ability to perform AADLs in older adults reported in the Mexican Study of Health and Aging (MSHA 2018). Methods: A secondary cross-sectional analysis of the MSHA 2018 data was carried out, including a convenience sample of 6474 subjects ≥ 60 years of age, for both sexes, without cognitive deficits. Nine questions related to AADLs were selected from the database. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine factors associated with <3 AADLs, including sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health status factors. Results: The prevalence of the ability to perform <3 AADLs was 63%. Age is the most important risk factor for <3 AADLs, which increases by the decade, followed by sedentary lifestyle (OR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.91–2.42, p < 0.0001). Conclusions. Our findings suggest that age, schooling, urban residence, sedentary lifestyle, and comorbidity are the main risk factors for <3 AADLs in older Mexican adults.